Saturday, December 31, 2016

Well, this week has been a blur of naps, TV, movies, reading, eating and drinking...and did I mention naps? I haven't slept this good in what feels like a year.

However, I shall attempt to remember what I've been up to. Hmmm...I think this was the day after Boxing Day, Tuesday.

Yes, L and I walked to town and had brunch at Floyd's. I went for a thrift shop afterwards. I don't do malls, and I certainly don't buy into the mass spending of mass-produced goods at this time of year (no judging if you do that - it's just not my thing).

Dress - Joe Fresh, thrifted; last seen here in November with purple legs and feet

Boots - 1883 Lucchesse, consignment; last worn here (3rd outfit) that same November weekend, for shopping with Simona

Coat (below) - Danier Leather

My tights are not the right grey - they look purplish here. That kind of thing bothers me.

Outerwear:

The same long wool vintage gloves and Danier furry toque/scarf combo. I spent a couple of hours browsing the Saint Vincent de Paul and the WIN Warehouse store AND the WIN Boutique, but didn't find anything that grabbed me. The thrift stores were rather empty of stock, so please clean out your closets and donate stuff, people of Victoria!

The stuff:

I'm not even sure what earrings those are. It's all a blur. As you can see from the toes of my boots, though, it's been raining a lot.

After all that fruitless shopping, I needed a nap before my evening adventures.

"Can't a cat snooze in peace?"

Vizzini, caught snuggling! That's his new furry grey blanket, which he is very fond of.

Refreshed from my brief nap, I got dressed to go out...Mom and I went to the "Sing-Along Sound of Music"! This is quite the world-wide production, and very fun to do - we did it once about 20 years ago, I think before L and I were married. Link here for info, and because I love our local fun, independent movie theatre, The Vic (they also do quote-along "The Big Lebowski" (with White Russians!) and "Pulp Fiction").

I wanted to be comfy but also stylin'. I didn't want to sit through a 3+ hour experience in a costume, so just my regular style would have to do.

Cashmere sweater - Magaschoni, thrifted; last seen here in September with emerald culottes

I don't think I've shaved my legs in a few weeks (TMI? Ha ha!), so a long skirt was needed. I don't wear my long leather skirts very often, but I still love them.

And I adore a leopard print, so one in cashmere? Sign me up!

I felt very elegant, and Mom and I had a hoot, hollering and yelling at the screen and singing at the top of our lungs. The (adult only) crowd was nicely rowdy and enjoyed themselves thoroughly!

"I use my amazing deductive powers to determine that you are leaving me. Again."

Long vintage wool gloves, and my usual furry Danier toque and scarf, again. Before the show, Mom and I went for dinner at Vista 18, a rooftop restaurant with views of the downtown and harbour. We had a fabulous meal!

The stuff:

Comfy shoes, plus I felt I should wear as many animal prints as possible. Three was just right, hee hee.

New bling:

I had to wear this new necklace - it was a gift from Mom!

Necklace - BCBG Max Azria, gift from Mom

Earrings - local

I'm so spoiled - Mom bought me another necklace!

It's a lovely copper with a Celtic design, by local artist Rachel McFarland. So cool!

Wednesday was an "I need to be at home and not see people" day. I read all day, then chilled out and played board games with L in the evening. Naps happened. There may also have been some more kitty cuddling.

Thursday, I had to get groceries for the coming weekend and the work-week (gah!) on the horizon. An easy outfit was called for!

I've worn this top/bottom combo before. I didn't make much of an effort with my clothes over this past week. I'll do better for work (urk!) next week.

Sweater - Vero Moda, thrifted; last seen here (3rd outfit) in November for shopping with a coworker

Boots - Dirty Laundry, thrifted; last seen here in December with my pink Muppet skirt

Coat (below) - Danier Leather

After groceries, I wandered over to the Velvet Crease consignment store. They had a lot of stock, and though I tried on a few things, nothing really grabbed me. I'm a bit fussier with consignment, since it typically costs more than thrift.

Gah, that darned tag always sticks up at the back of this sweater!

Outerwear:

Yup, seen all that before! I swapped out the wool gloves for Danier leather ones.

The stuff:

L and I do a lot more walking now that we don't have a car. My search for stylish yet comfy walking shoes has been increased - I'm ever-vigilant for a new pair.

Earrings - local

After the Velvet Crease, i hiked over to My Sister's Closet, where I had much better luck with my shopping. I found this amazing dark grey cotton jacket.

"What did you bring me?"

Vizzini has been very happy having us around the house more this week. He's going to be pretty grouchy when we go back to work.

The jacket is by CAbi, and was $40.98.

I love the sort of military/folky look of the embroidery and beads at the chest. It does up with hooks and eyes.

And you know I love detail that carries around to the back. Designers, take heed! We're seen from the rear too, not just the front!

There's a couple of big pleats below the waist detail so that the jacket has a very nice fit at the top, and then flares out a bit.

I am a sucker for plaid.

This plaid shirt is cotton flannel (like the inside of sleeping bags!) and so wonderfully thick. It's by Ralph Lauren and was $14.98.

I tried on about a million dresses (okay, maybe 10) and only this one made the cut.

It's a killer cut, and I love the grey/cream rose floral pattern.

It's by Comrags (yay! I love their stuff!), and was made in Canada. I found this dress online - it's called the Magdalena dress, and this is called the "rumpled print". They still make the Magdalena dress, in different fabrics, but this one is from the Spring/Summer 2011 collection (link here, 'cause I love!) - it's the 11th thumbnail picture.

There's a listing for their current version of the Magdalena dress here (in Italian jacquard, classy!). As you can see, it's regular price $410.00 (on sale for $287.00), so I got this for an awesome deal of $38.98!

There's also a line sketch thumbnail of the dress here, so that you can see the nice shape, and the detail on the neckline (it's a bit hard to see in the above picture).

Believe it or not, I steamed this dress for the pictures. The "rumpled" part of "rumple print" is very true! And I think it's because...

This dress is 8% metal! No, there is no metal decoration, and the zipper is plastic, so based on the feel of the dress fabric, I can only conclude that it actually has some kind of metal woven into the fabric that a) makes it really shiny and b) causes it to wrinkle like mad. I suppose if you were one of those "no wrinkles, ever!" people, that might drive you nuts, and I can see why someone might have consigned it. However, I'm cool with deliberate wrinkles, so yay!

I popped into Lazy Susan's on my way home, and found these lovely lightweight hoop earrings.

Only $12 and they were mine, muahahahaaa!

I also found this lovely summery-looking hat/fascinator.

Look at the long spines of the feathers that have been stripped out!

So fun! I don't think I'll be wearing it for New Year's Eve, but I'll have to figure out somewhere good to wear it.

I met up with Elaine on Thursday night for a sherry Happy Hour at a local tapas place. We had a lovely dinner.

Yesterday/Friday, I met up with a group of 10+ people (a mix of friends, coworkers, and coworkers of friends) to go see "Sing-Along Sound of Music"...AGAIN! I'd mentioned to my friends that I was taking my mom, and they expressed interest in going, so...why not? Anything fun is worth doing again!

We did the matinee/all ages show, preceded by brunch at Cactus Club. I had to wear that new dress, right? I walked to town, so easy walking shoes. I loved wearing this dress all day!

I wore a camisole and a vintage half-slip under this, as the seams were a bit itchy (the dress is not lined). Could be the metal content??

I noticed in these pictures that the slip was hanging down (it's big in the waist), so I safety-pinned it tighter. It's not visible in the stair picture (the last picture I take).

Such a great cut on the dress! It would only be better if it had pocketses, precious.

Add my faux fur chartreuse green stole - I rarely wear this; in fact, I've only worn it once before, here in March 2014 (2nd outfit), where I noted that I bought it for $10.50 during Christmas 2013.

Added my long cashmere/leather Club Monaco consignment gloves. Although the dress is grey, it is a warm browny-grey, and I liked how it went with the brown gloves and the green/dark brown of the stole.

And finally, my cream coat over it. I felt very classy, and my dress kind of looked like it was made of...curtains?? Sure, why not!

It was a lovely sunny day, perfect for a walk to town, a giggly brunch, and another round of hooting and hollering at the screen. What a fun thing to do!

The stuff:

I was happy to have that faux fur stole - the theatre was freezing, and I needed it for warmth!

I didn't wear much bling, just earrings.

Pearly ones, since I am so classy, ha ha!

Earrings - thrifted

And now, it's Saturday, New Year's Eve, and it's time for me to shower, tidy up the house and make some appies for our New Year's Eve shindig for our 12 closest and dearest friends. I'll have pictures for you on Monday, but for now...

"Always take the warm spot."

I wish each and every one of you, a very Happy New Year, from the bottom of my heart. It has been a heckuva 2016 (I can't even think about Carrie Fisher without tearing up), but another year is nearly here, and that's a chance for a fresh start. 2017 is going to bring good things, I know it.

My studded black leather Danier gloves were a little on the cold side. I should have worn a warmer coat.

The stuff:

A long day hanging out with my extended family. I took my slippers to Mom's place (a smart move!).

Gold bling:

I feel like you can't possibly wear too much bling on Christmas.

Necklace - consignment

Cuff - Jezebel Charms, gift from L

Gold chain - vintage 80s, Grandma J's

Amber ring - late 90s

Crystal ring - Uffizi Gallery gift shop

Ear-balls - Dior

Goodies from Mom and the fam.

"I see no gift with my name on it."

90% less cat.

"Catnip bubbles? What kind of trickery is this? I can't eat them!"

A blended scotch, some catnip bubbles (there you go, Vizzini!), a mug, an Indigo gift card and a cool necklace. There was also a pin - hmmm...Vizzini?

Today, L and I walked to town in the rain and saw "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story".

For a movie with a fore-ordained ending, I enjoyed it.

Top - Jeanne Beker, consignment; last seen here in November when I modified the neckline

Jeans - Mark., thrifted; last worn here in early December with Helmut Lang

Shoes - Sperry, thrifted; last worn up there for Christmas!

Coat (below) - Vassali, consignment

In retrospect, I regret not wearing any socks, however, this was great for sitting in a theatre for a couple of hours.

We had a little shop at the CD store and grabbed some tacos for lunch. Yum!

Outerwear:

I grabbed that purple beret on the way out of the house. Grey wool Parkhurst fingerless gloves and my thrifted fur boa kept me warm.

The stuff;

My new necklace from L - he bought it at Vanity Fair Antique Mall (a great store, full of antiques that locals consign their stuff).

It's by Robert Larin (it's signed), who was a Canadian jeweler in the late 60s/early 70s.

There is a little blurb about him here, and not much else about him online. I love this cool piece, though. It's pewter that's cast using the "cire perdu" (lost wax) method, which means only unique pieces, since no molds are kept. The centre piece is a bit of bronze.

Necklace - Robert Larin, vintage 60s/70s, gift from L

Earrings - Glee

In other news, you might have noticed that I've had my nails done all fancy-like for a week or so.

I used to do my nails constantly and have gotten out of the habit over the years. Anyway, it's a fun thing to do - low commitment.